The study examined a 7.5-hour, hospital-wide physician communication skills workshop in a large academic hospital system and its effects on attitudes and behaviors related to patient communication. The workshop covered areas such as empathy, eliciting concerns, agenda setting and shared decision-making.
It included 490 participants from 21 medical and surgical specialties, which primarily consisted of attending level physicians.
Data was collected through a web-based questionnaire, which participants received six weeks post-workshop. “A significant change in self-efficacy, attitudes, and behaviors related to communicating with patients occurred in nine out of 10 questions on the retrospective pre-post survey,” the authors wrote.
Additionally, providers who spent less time in patient care felt they elicited patient concerns more effectively and providers who had previously participated in training were more likely to feel satisfied with how they conducted patient visits than prior to the workshop.
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